T. Rees Shapiro and Moriah Balingit of the Washington Post report that a George Mason University study has concluded active discrimination against black teacher applicants.

The study published in the spring issue of Harvard Educational Review revealed that Black applicants for Fairfax County and Montgomery County teaching positions in a recent school year were far less likely than white candidates to get job offers even though they had on average more advanced degrees and classroom experience, according to a new study that is drawing intense scrutiny within the school system.

The study asserts that racial bias in hiring may be contributing to the persistent dearth of black teachers in public education, a problem that has long been pinned on a lack of qualified applicants and interest. The imbalance can have tangible effects in the classroom. Other researchers have found that black students from low-income families are more likely to graduate if they have at least one black teacher and that black teachers are more likely to identify gifted students of color.